Alvin Evans (October 4, 1845 – June 19, 1906) was an American lawyer and
Republican member of the
U.S. House of Representatives from
Pennsylvania.
Early life and education
Born in
Ebensburg, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1845, Evans was a son of David J. and Jane Ann (Jones) Evans and a grandson of John Evans, a carpenter and a native of
Cardiganshire, Wales. Educated in local public schools and the Iron City Business College in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alvin Evins obtained a job in
lumbering at the age of sixteen when his father's business failed due to the financial crash of 1857.
Career
American Civil War
In 1862, Alvin Evans enlisted with a volunteer military unit, which was mobilized in response to the potential invasion of
Pennsylvania by the
Confederate States Army during the
American Civil War.
Legal and political career
After beginning legal studies with George M. Reade of Ebensburg in 1870, he was admitted to the bar in 1873. He then established a law practice in Ebensburg, and later advocated for clients in the
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts (the other being the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania). It is based in Harrisburg.
Jurisdiction
The Superior Court hears appeals in criminal and most ...
and the
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, as well as in federal court. A one-term burgess for the borough of Ebensburg, he also worked as solicitor for the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
in
Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset Countie ...
, and was a member of the school board and city council of Ebensburg. Involved in the incorporation of the First National Bank of Ebensburg, he was later appointed as president of that bank's board of directors.
Elected as a
Republican to the
Fifty-seventh and
Fifty-eighth Congresses, he did not seek renomination in
1904
Events
January
* January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''.
* January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system.
* ...
, but instead returned to the practice of law.
A member of the board of trustees of the First Congregational Church of Ebensburg, he was also active in the
Grand Army of the Republic's Captain John M. Jones Post and the
Free and Accepted Masons' Summit Lodge, No. 312.
Personal life
He wed Kate Shryock (1846–1886) in
Wilmore, Pennsylvania
Wilmore is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 225 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Wilmore is located in south-central Cambria County a ...
on November 17, 1875. They had three children. Evans died in Ebensburg, and was interred in the Lloyd Cemetery.
The Political Graveyard
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Alvin
1845 births
1906 deaths
People from Ebensburg, Pennsylvania
American people of Welsh descent
Pennsylvania lawyers
Politicians from Pittsburgh
American bankers
Union Army soldiers
People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American businesspeople